ST. PETERSBURG, FL \u2014 St. Petersburg was recently designated a \u201cTrail Town\u201d by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection\u2019s Office of Greenways and Trails with a focus on its arts districts, city officials said in a news release. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the most recent city to receive this recognition from the FDEP, joining 22 other Florida cities that are designated a \u201cTrail Town.\u201d<\/p>\n
“This designation is a testament to what we’ve known all along \u2014 St. Pete is a vibrant community where residents and visitors can enjoy our thoughtfully-designed trails, active transportation, arts and culture community, and local businesses,\u201d Mayor Kenneth T. Welch said in a statement. \u201cI’m proud of the work our city team and our community partners did to secure this designation and for their ongoing efforts in making St. Pete one of the best places to live and visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cTrail Town\u201d program through FDEP was established in 2018 to recognize communities with significant trail investments.<\/p>\n
A \u201cTrail Town\u201d is a community located along or in proximity to one or more long-distance non-motorized recreational trails and is a “vibrant destination where people come together,\u201d officials said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrail Towns\u201d are not stand-alone communities, they are linked by a long-distance trail corridor.<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg was selected as a \u201cTrail Town\u201d because of the proximity to the Pinellas Trail, which connects four arts districts in St. Pete: Warehouse Arts District, EDGE District, Central Arts District and Waterfront Arts District. <\/p>\n
These districts promote art and cultural experiences throughout the trail and provide easy access to nearby local businesses, officials said.<\/p>\n
The \u201cTrail Town\u201d application required an assessment of trail amenities to ensure that users have significant access to supportive infrastructure and services. For the St. Pete designation, this included emergency markers, trail courtesy reminders, access to restaurants and retail, bike racks, and public restrooms. <\/p>\n
In addition to quarterly meetings with other \u201cTrail Towns,\u201d the designation allows the city to participate in FDEP’s program promotion efforts designed to boost tourism and may assist in pursuing state grants for trail-oriented projects.<\/p>\n